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Communities in Schools asks Milledgeville council for $15,000 to fund a site coordinator
Summary
Courtney Bentley, representing the local Communities in Schools affiliate, asked the Milledgeville City Council to provide $15,000 to support a full‑time site coordinator and outlined program outcomes and additional budget priorities; councilmembers asked for a formal budget request and noted a possible nonprofit funding pool under consideration in next year’s budget.
Courtney Bentley, representing the Milledgeville‑Baldwin County affiliate of Communities in Schools, told the City Council that the nonprofit surrounds students “with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life,” and asked the council to consider $15,000 to fund a site coordinator for one year.
Bentley said the affiliate serves all county schools, from the Early Learning Center through Baldwin High School, and provided enrollment and demographic figures: 4,693 students in Baldwin County public schools; 64% Black, 24% White; 70% of students economically disadvantaged; 4% unhoused; 12% in special education; and 2% English‑language learners. She reported outcomes for the program’s case‑managed students last school year: 75% improved attendance, 100% improved behavior, a 53% improvement in academics for those served, 96% promotion rate for tutored students, 88% senior graduation rate and 100% retention in school for seniors reached by the program.
Bentley outlined a tiered request for city support: $15,000 to fund a site coordinator for one year; $10,000 for uniforms serving about 150 students; $5,000 to build home libraries; $3,000 for a literacy tutoring curriculum for one school for a semester; and $1,000 for toiletry or “blessing bag” supplies covering roughly 50 students for a month.
City Manager Joel Griffin told the council he would prefer a formal budget request letter for consideration, and he described an upcoming budget discussion about creating a pool of funding nonprofits could apply for through a formal application process. A councilmember echoed that written breakdowns would help staff evaluate requests in a budget context; Bentley said she had provided a written request and offered to complete any additional paperwork the council required.
The council did not take an immediate funding vote. The next procedural step, as requested by council and staff, is for Communities in Schools to submit a formal budget request and detailed breakdown of how city funds would be used so staff can review it as part of the budget process.
